Chapter 21
After many twists and turns, I succeeded in recruiting Sigrin.
My heart had been pounding so hard since earlier that both my body and mind felt exhausted.
“Hey, cut back on the caffeine. It looks like you’re going into shock again.”
Caffeine? It was because I was excited.
Angel lightly ignored the words of his lab colleague, returned to his seat, and took another sip of coffee.
It felt like I had only imagined a legendary region in my mind, and after relentless effort, I finally discovered it and set foot on its soil for the first time.
For so long, I had been digging into Variant Cores, endlessly constructing intangible hypotheses and theories, growing lethargic from never seeing anything concrete.
And then, in that state, I discovered Sigrin’s Core.
It was even an Eye Core, often called the flower of Variant Cores. Its limitless potential for growth made it impossible not to be intrigued.
Sigrin, that girl, was the savior of my research life, which had begun to feel meaningless.
Even after successfully recruiting her for the class, I ended up hearing her spontaneous and grand stories about her life and worldview.
Normally, nothing is as boring as someone else’s life story, but Sigrin’s tales were so captivating that they sank right into my ears.
An Eye Core holder explaining the background of her abilities with her own mouth—only a fool wouldn’t pay attention.
[When I was young, I was cursed and could barely walk, so I had to use a wheelchair. I think that curse is probably why I developed a Variant Core. Though it’s a bit unexpected that it manifested in my eyes.]
[My latent Core was probably in my brain originally. When a primary Core gets blocked, a Variant Core tends to settle in a slightly off-target area.]
[Is that so?]
It was so interesting and thrilling.
[I thought I was a dunce my whole life. Unlike my siblings, I wasn’t good at anything. That’s why my father sent me to this academy, telling me to become independent from the Family. Once I graduate and get a job, I’ll have no connection to the Ebenkera Family. I don’t plan to receive any support either.]
To think I mistook a girl like her for a Coreless person hiding her strength.
How embarrassing—I completely misjudged her.
[Oh… I didn’t know. Would you like me to introduce you to the school counselor?]
[Haha, no, it doesn’t bother me much anymore. Honestly, it’s not a story I wanted to share with others, but I wanted you to know how grateful I am. I was wondering what I should do with my life, but you opened a path for me. Thank you, Assistant. I can’t express it fully, but I mean it.]
[…]
What number was that?
Sigrin, as if her mouth had burst open, poured out every kind of praise and compliment after that.
It felt like I heard all the praise and gratitude I’d ever get in my lifetime from her.
I hadn’t lived a life doing things to earn affection, so I was more accustomed to insults and scorn.
That’s why such intense expressions of gratitude felt awkward every time I heard them.
Maybe because I’d been looking at her too much from a research perspective, I felt a bit guilty.
I’d been cautious around her since she was a student I wanted to get close to, but for some reason, I felt even more cautious now.
‘Well, at least she doesn’t hate me, so our conversations should go smoothly.’
Angel sipped his coffee again while drafting the lesson plan.
✦ ✦ ✦
Sigrin received more than just a bundle of keys as a gift from Angel.
She also got a nurse’s office pass and a class pass.
[These seemed like they’d be useful, so I prepared them. Now, if you’re feeling unwell, you can go to the nurse’s office during class or even during a dungeon raid. And this class pass lets you attend any class you want without registering for it. I thought an Eye Core holder should be exposed to as many different environments and abilities as possible.]
He prepared so much. I’m grateful.
‘More than that, he seems to really like niche things.’
Was that why he bought something like the Outstanding Student Badge?
Whatever the case, everything was going so smoothly that my heart felt incredibly at ease. I’d been worrying about how to strengthen my Eye Core.
As soon as the long conversation with Angel ended, my newly made friends (subordinates)… approached.
They came right after finishing their afternoon classes, it seemed.
Sigrin hid her inner joy and waved cheerfully.
“You won, right?”
“Huh?”
“Still, try not to make enemies. He might seem indifferent to what happens to him, but he holds grudges, is obsessive, and very calculating.”
“That’s the textbook scholar personality.”
“Is… that so?”
Apple must have been really worried, because the moment she spotted Sigrin, she rushed over.
“Miss!! Are you okay? Did you win??”
“We had a good talk.”
“Uh… somehow, that sounds a bit scary…”
“What?”
“Huh? No, no!”
Apple shook her head vigorously, flashing an awkward smile.
✦ ✦ ✦
After dinner.
‘Since Assistant Angel gave me the warehouse key and several storage room keys, I should go check them out.’
Come to think of it, I’d never been to the third floor of the library.
I’d been so busy that I hadn’t even thought about exploring the rest of the library.
Sigrin headed toward the stairs leading to the third floor.
Creak, creak.
The old wooden stairs groaned with each step.
The third floor of the library, which I reached with anticipation, was…
“Completely empty.”
It was just a storage room filled with unnecessary furniture, spare library cards, and loan records.
There were three locked doors inside.
Malfunction Scroll Storage
Malfunction Etherib Storage
No Entry
It seemed the bundle of keys Angel gave me could open those doors.
Sigrin first opened the room Angel had mentioned using as his hideout.
The moment I opened the door, the smell of coffee hit me, as dried coffee beans were hanging from the ceiling.
The scent was still strong, so it seemed some kind of magic had been cast.
‘Instant coffee, coffee grounds, coffee husk pots, coffee beans.’
Sigrin let out an exclamation of awe at the wall lined with an obsessive collection of coffee-related items.
Last time at the café, he only drank coffee. He must really love it.
On the other wall were the niche books and unpublished research papers he’d talked about, stacked high.
As they were unpublished studies, the topics were varied and bizarre.
‘Studies on the dangers of human transmutation, comparative analysis of the characteristics of illusion-based magical beasts by species, issues with swapping the positions of the head and arms, research on the existence of spiritual entities from superstitions, studies on resistance developed from overlapping curses…’
Among them, as he’d mentioned, there were quite a few studies related to Variant Cores. Sigrin picked up the books she needed and put them in her violin case.
“Oh?”
Then she spotted a bookshelf that drew her attention even more than his collection.
Eastern Midriba Hunting Grounds - [Magical Beasts] [Plants] [Terrain] [Dungeon Features]
Compilation of Bonus Point Magical Beast Parts
Western Sereb Hunting Grounds - [Magical Beasts] [Plants] [Terrain] [Dungeon Features]
Southern Cardia Hunting Grounds - [Magical Beasts] [Plants] [Terrain] [Dungeon Features]
Northern Lemaos Hunting Grounds - [Magical Beasts] [Plants] [Terrain] [Dungeon Features]
Analysis of Dungeons Used in Practical Exams
Cheat sheets!! I found cheat sheets!!
Sigrin tossed aside the minor papers he’d recommended and tightly hugged the cheat sheets.